Identifying Mineral Characteristics
Minerals
are defined as solid, naturally occurring, inorganic substances composed
of an element or compound, and having a fixed chemical composition. It
is said that minerals are the building blocks of the earth because combinations
of minerals constitute all rocks present in the crust of the earth. Minerals
are also important resources for humans as metallic ores, sources of chemicals,
and gemstones.
The identification of minerals
is an exciting and interesting study. Few minerals can be identified by
a single characteristic. Geologists usually need to determine many characteristics,
or physical properties, of a mineral in order to determine its identity.
The use of a dichotomous, or branching, key greatly simplifies mineral
identification.
Here are two Mineral Identification
Keys:
Scott Resources, Inc. 1993
Scott Resources, Inc. 1993
Also check out: MINERAL
IDENTIFICATION KEY by Alan Plante & Donald Peck.
Follow these steps to Identify
Your Minerals:
Getting
Started
Color
Hardness
Streak
Luster
Cleavage
Rock
Samples
